Is Atheism a religion without a church or temple ?
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Anonymous
The connection is there and it is our shared messy humanity. We have many shared interests - such as the survival of our planet for which we all Have to play a part. Barbour was a physicist and a theologian not just one or the other. Large swathes of humanity are deeply religious and science alone is probably not enough to engage all stake holders. |
Anonymous
I would assume it might be his way of focusing and going into the zone, like some great athletes have their ritual. What happened if they don’t do it? it is hard to answer. |
Anonymous
Right. That’s why it’s scary. |
Anonymous
Many doctors, dentists, nurses and other medical providers are religious but most do not offer to pray withh their patients. In my experience, when they do, it is usually done with sensitivity and respect for no. Many medical service practitioners (myself included) have seen patients experience miracles that defy scientific explanations. That does not mean they reject rigorous scientific approaches to medicine in any way. |
Anonymous
By "miracles" you mean "unexpected but not medically impossible occurrences", right? |
Anonymous
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Not atheism per se.
But certain firmly held beliefs by atheists constitute a religion. It's their own value system of what is morally right and wrong, much of which cannot be found in theistic texts like the Bible or Quran. |
Anonymous
How is this "value system" shared between atheists? How did all of the atheists agree on this values to share? |
Anonymous
You really believe that they experienced "miracles"? What is your educational background? |
Anonymous
Not necessarily miracles in the popular dramatic sense but medical outcomes that could not be explained in scientific terms. Medical practitioners are more likely than the average population to identify as religious. This suggests that their faith motivates them to help others (I have met and worked with many doctors and nurses whose faith values to love and serve attracted them into medical work). Heaven knows it is extremely difficult for many medics to practice their professions in the US where insurance companies continually undermine medical decisions. Religious and Spiritual Beliefs of Physicians Kristin A Robinson et al. J Relig Health. 2017 Feb. What percentage of doctors are religious? The majority of physicians believe in God (65.2 %), and 51.2 % reported themselves as religious, 24.8 % spiritual, 12.4 % agnostic, and 11.6 % atheist. This self-designation was largely independent of specialty except for psychiatrists, who were more likely report agnosticism (P = 0.003). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27071796/ Abstract The aim of this study is to describe religious and spiritual beliefs of physicians and examine their influence on the decision to pursue medicine and daily medical practice. An anonymous survey was e-mailed to physicians at a large, multidisciplinary tertiary referral center with satellite clinics. Data were collected from January 2014 through February 2014. There were 2097 respondents (69.1 % men), and number of practicing years ranged from ≤1 to ≥30. Primary care physicians or medical specialists represented 74.1 %, 23.6 % were in surgical specialties, and 2.3 % were psychiatrists. The majority of physicians believe in God (65.2 %), and 51.2 % reported themselves as religious, 24.8 % spiritual, 12.4 % agnostic, and 11.6 % atheist. This self-designation was largely independent of specialty except for psychiatrists, who were more likely report agnosticism (P = 0.003). In total, 29.0 % reported that religious or spiritual beliefs influenced their decision to become a physician. Frequent prayer was reported by 44.7 % of physicians, but only 20.7 % reported having prayed with patients. Most physicians consider themselves religious or spiritual, but the rates of agnosticism and atheism are higher than the general population. Psychiatrists are the least religious group. Despite the influence of religion on physicians' lives and medical practice, the majority have not incorporated prayer into patient encounters. |
Anonymous
Can you give me some examples of "medical outcomes that could not be explained in scientific terms"? |
Anonymous
Not pp, but to me this means that medical science does not yet understand why some positive medical outcomes happen, not that God intervened. MDs who believe in God don't rely on prayer for positive outcomes - they rely on medical science. |
Anonymous
Patients who are not expected to survive the night even with advanced medical interventions so close relatives are contacted. They pray over their loved one, and the patient goes on to make a complete (age appropriate) recovery. This happens relatively often. Patients who lose oxygen for extended periods of time (such as drowning cases or cardiac arrest) that would normally result in severe brain damage and/ or death. Their families and friends pray over them and they make astonishing recoveries. I personally witnessed a young man who dived into a shallow body of water and was paralyzed from the neck down. He had no feeling in fingers or toes and could not move at all. Xray showed complete fracture of cervical vertebra. Family and medical staff of different faiths prayed over him. A few days later he was walking normally. Perhaps there is a scientific explanation but this was prior to more recent advances made in treating fractured spines. Many medical service workers are motivated by their faith to help and serve others and have humility about the limits of medicine in certain situations. Physical Death is a fact of life but medical professionals seek to preserve quality and length of life as much as possible. Many medical workers try to show respect for spiritual side of life (innate human dignity of everyone). However commitment to rigorous science and best medical care is first priority. Life and death is not black and white. Medical practitioners will often try and help patients and their families to navigate treatment choices in ways that make the most sense for them. |
Anonymous
DP According to Gottfried, associate professor of neurosurgery, Medicine is an imperfect Science. Sometimes there are no good options, or a perfectly planned and executed treatment fails or leads to complications or death. For me, a miracle means one’s ability to defy the odds, I have treated people who appear to have complete injury of the spinal cord with no residual function and yet who recover . |
Anonymous
Another example of using religion to fill in the gaps in our scientific knowledge. Why does praying work for some patients but not others? If prayer affected outcomes, wouldn’t “miracles” be more prevalent? |
Anonymous
None of these are examples of "medical outcomes that could not be explained in scientific terms" , and in fact there is only one anecdote from you personally that is even close. As for your claim that "Medical practitioners will often try and help patients and their families to navigate treatment choices in ways that make the most sense for them" please show me the AMA guidelines that recommend prayer as an efficacious treatment. Things we cannot understand do not, by default, equal divine intervention. Please don't claim they do. You do a disservice to your honored profession. |